In the case of Arctic Monkeys, Riley explained, it took multiple visits with the band to show them demos and explain what the Guitar Hero franchise is all about to get permission.

This is pretty shocking. Some bands should be paying Neversoft to get placement into Guitar Hero 5, not nickel and diming and hemming and hawing over *allowing* Neversoft to use their music. Getting listed = guaranteed placement and listening by millions of music fans. These people love guitar rock-- love it enough to fill their living rooms with cheap plastic approximations of musical instruments. That's about as targeted as you can get.

It goes to show that in crazy media times like these, many people don't even really know which way the value chain flows. Maybe because now it flows both ways.

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Negotiations with bands for Guitar Hero/Rock Band can take years, sometimes even longer than it does to make the games themselves.

A great deal of bands understand it, but unfortunately some don't at all. There have been recent quotes from famous rock musicians who hate the idea of their music being played in a video game.

Confuses the heck out of me!

—
Sam Houston

Well, I agree to a degree here about bands should want to sign on to Guitar Hero. On the other hand, there are bands that rely on their mystic to appeal to their fan base, and I can see how appearing on a video game may appear to be a sell out to some fans.

—
Patrick Au-Yeung

It is time for artists to embrace the multitude of modern platforms, gaming and social media, on which their music gets exposure.

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Ted

I don't really play Guitar Hero, Rockband, etc., but my sons do, and as a result I've gone out and bought albums. For instance, after I heard Cliffs of Dover from the other room a few times, I *had* to know what that song was and I bought several albums of Eric Johnson's music.

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